Many years ago before I had any notion of the spiritual solution my friend, Pastor Charles W. Quann, of the Bethlehem Baptist Church in Spring House, PA, invited me, a confirmed agnostic, to his service.  I watched in awe as Reverend Quann and his choir seemed to command some unseen energy, like the kind I sensed at a great Springsteen concert.  The choir sang like they were possessed by spirit.  And I knew in that moment that it was possible to stay blessed always.

The pastor also seemed to be in some kind of altered state that was riveting.  So without thinking, I stood and raised my hands to receive the energy coming from the front of the church.  Rev. Quann gestured to heaven and asked over and over in a fervent pitch, Have you been blessed?  Do you see all that you have received?  Can you feel them?  Stay blessed always, he concluded.

“Yes,” I shouted, to my surprise.   I had to admit I could feel the spirit. I experienced the joy of a benevolent force that had given me an incredible family, the most awesome path of work in being greatly able to help others, and so much more.  That experience changed me and put me on the spiritual journey.

Stay Blessed Always: Feeling the Blessings

Since then I have thought a lot about the concept of blessings.  We are now living in an age of gratitude as the path to happiness.  Compiling and sometimes sharing gratitude lists via email is now de rigueur in one’s search for fulfillment and joy.  Everyone from 12 step sponsors to therapists, coaches and growth gurus endorses their use, myself included.  And being grateful is an extraordinary gift to give yourself and is, the gift of happiness.

But the question is, can we take it one step farther?  Maybe there is a greater peacefulness, a greater serenity, a greater joy, if we look at the wonderful people, places, situations and gifts in our lives as BLESSINGS.

Blessings are defined as follows:

• Help and approval from God[dess]
• Having a sacred nature
• Connected with God[dess]

This takes us beyond mere appreciation and into the realm of connection with our Source Energy.  So as we are grateful for our blessings we get happier and more connected with our notion of a Higher Power.

So right now I want you to make a list of all the BLESSINGS you are grateful for in your life.  Please end the following sentence with whatever comes to mind.  Add some blessings that have come out of what you thought were misfortunes.

I am truly blessed because…

Stay Blessed Always: Our Coaching Client, Jana

Here is how Jana, a high-achieving pediatric oncology nurse in our Love Mentoring program did this exercise.

Jana started each blessing with “I Am”:

1. Truly blessed because I survived a serious car crash.
2. Blessed to have an extraordinary daughter.
3. Divorced from my husband and not have to deal with his issues!
4. Truly blessed because my elderly sick doggie is still comforting me.

Stay Blessed Always: Faith in a Power Greater than Yourself

This is great exercise that helps create faith.  And faith, or as a 12-stepper would put it, turning things over to God[dess], is one of the most useful choices we can make.  When we are in despair or in a state of fear, faith can lift us out of ourselves.  In fact, fear cannot exist in the moment when we have faith.  If you are facing a situation that is filled with fear and anxiety, use this exercise to give yourself faith.

For example, Della, a single mother who was an accomplished corporate attorney, was facing a fearful dilemma—whether to ask Darnell, her drug-addicted son to move out if he did not get help.  Here is how she did the exercise to give herself faith and comfort.

She started each blessing with “I Am”:

1. Truly blessed because I know of a good detox and rehab center for Darnell.
2. Blessed to have options.
3. supported of my loving Al-Anon friends.
4. Truly blessed to be doing this exercise.
5. Blessed to feel a measure of detachment right now.
6. Thank you God.

So bolstered with a measure of peace and faith, Della was able to make the hard choice to ask her son to move out.  In fact, he is now safely in detox.  She is continuing to work on her faith and connection to her Higher Power. Like Della, you can stay blessed always.